The Yukon Imagination Library — non-profit organization that gives free
books to Yukon children from birth to age four — is turning 10 this year. To
celebrate the milestone we have collected reading stories from families who
have used the library and from a few well-known Yukoners. We will be sharing
them over the next few months.

Part 2

There’s Always a Stack of Books
Hidden Under Their Quilts

The Went family in Faro share a story about their favourite book
by Leighann Chalykoff

n our second column we
asked the Went family in Faro
to share a story about their
favourite book and about how
reading brought them together
and set up their kids for success.
Here’s what Kara Went told us:
“We signed both of our children up for the Yukon Imagination Library program because
we knew how important it was
to share our love of books and
reading with them. Our oldest,
Hunter, is now turning 10 in June
and his little brother just turned
eight. The boys received books
each month from infancy until they turned five. They loved
getting something special in the
mail just for them every month!
“Our absolute favourite book
that we got through this amazing program was called ABC
Look At Me [by Roberta Grobel
Intrater]. Our son wasn’t even
a year old when he got that
book and he fell in love with it
right away. Every letter of the
alphabet has a picture of toddler showing a facial expression
that goes along with the letter
and description. I am pretty sure
my husband and I can still recite
the entire book from memory!
‘A is for angry when I had a bad
day.... B is for bashful when I’m
too shy to play…’
“We read that book over and
over and we even had to take it
with us on numerous camping
trips.
“The boys started school eager to learn and were both reading independently from a young
age. They are now both voracious readers and reading years
above their grade levels. We are
constantly ordering books into
our local library, there is always
a stack of books hidden under
their quilts, and they have a bin
full of books for every camping
trip.
“While we have given away
many of the books we received

PHOTO: courtesy of the Went family
from the Yukon Imagination Library to other children in our
community, ABC Look At Me is
still on our bookshelf and it will
always bring back a lot of happy
memories for our family.”
This column is provided by
the Yukon Imagination Library.
Visit our website at www.YukonImaginationLibrary.ca to register
your child or lend your support.

Kara Went says: Here is a picture
of our oldest son, Hunter, and
Dad reading his favourite book
while we were camping down
the South Canol back in 2008
Leighann Chalykoff is a
Yukon writer who believes in
building community through
good causes.

3

August 23, 2017

Geek Get-Together

On the Cover

The third YukomiCon takes place at the Yukon Convention Centre Aug. 25 to 27

Deadpool goes for a dip in the
Porcupine river near Old Crow
after arriving in the Yukon
for YukomiCon 2017
PHOTO:
Erik Pinkerton

by Amy Kenny

I

f you think Captain America’s corny and overrated, you’re in good
company – with the likes of
Thor, Spider-Man, and Nick
Fury. They’re just three of
the heroes who will spend
a night laying burns on the
Captain at a “roast” during
YukomiCon this year.
The Roast, which takes
place on Saturday, August 26
at 9 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion in Whitehorse,
is a collaboration with Yukon
Comedy Collective – and
it’s just one of many events
scheduled for this year’s
three-day celebration of all
things great and geeky.
It’s also the newest addition to the convention, which
will take place at the Yukon Convention Centre August 25 to 27.
Reid Vanier, board member
with the Yukon Comic Culture
Society (which puts on the Con)
says the first event in 2014 started
small.
“It started as an informal
meeting,” he says. “People coming together who had a shared
interest in comics and geek culture and decided in that meeting,
‘Why can’t we throw our own convention?’”
After 2014, it took place again
in 2015, before having a break in
2016.
Vanier says that this year the
board of the Comic Culture Society has changed, and the energy
of new members has fuelled the
organization this summer.

on landscape, he says. The
pieces in this show have elements of that, but the landscape element is mostly just
a backdrop to silhouetted
superheroes, and fantasy and
industrial scenes.
Vanier says the best part
of the convention, though,
isn’t the individual guests,
workshops, or events, but
the atmosphere created
by attendees. In 2015, 850
people came out, and Vanier
says it’s always exciting to
be in a place with that many
people who are as excited as
you are about something.
“I think when you look at
those numbers of people who
PHOTO: courtesy of Reid Vanier attend, not everyone in that
group would define themThe convention crowd at the 2015 YukomiCon
selves as a geek or a gamer or a
cosplayer or anything like that.
Among the workshops, Vanier is There is that level of person, but
Offerings include talks and
workshops from all kinds of Can- particularly excited for a cosplay this brings together huge nerds
adian talent, such as Toby Proctor, session led by Andy Rae, a cos- and people with a passing interwho voiced “Tuxedo Mask” in the tume designer from B.C. Rae will est in meeting actors and learngive demos and explain how to use ing about the craft. I think what’s
Sailor Moon cartoons.
Vanier says Proctor has been Worbla, a thermoplastic used by nice about an event like this is
up for YukomiCon in the past, and cosplayers to create realistic rep- that is kind of runs the gamut… it
loved Whitehorse. He talked it up licas of costumes and weapons.
encourages people to follow [their
For gamers, there will be tour- interests] more passionately. To
to other voice actors and comic
creators, which is how YukomiCon naments including Magic: The celebrate the things that we like,
ended up with roughly 15 special Gathering, Settlers of Catan, and engage further, as a group and
Pokemon and more. And, down a community.”
guests this year.
Among them is PJ Phil, who the street from the Legion, locals
Tickets for the YukomiCon ‘17
hosted the downtime between are part of the programming at are available online at YukomiYTV shows such as Power Rangers Arts Underground, with The True Con.com and at the door.
and Are You Afraid of the Dark?; North Strong and Geek. That’s a
illustrator Diana Greenhalgh, who show of work from Yukon artists
Amy Kenny is a writer and
has done movie posters for Dead- that Vanier says turns the idea of
artist living in Whitehorse.
pool; and Mackenzie Gray, who northern art on its head.
She likes books, bikes and
A lot of northern art focuses
played “Jax-Ur” in Man of Steel.
being outside.

Local Artists Team Up for a Night
of Live Hip Hop
Hip Hop Show #3 takes place at Splintered Craft on Aug. 24

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Ben Craymer (left) and Tanner Coyne rehearse their material for the Hip Hop
Show #3, which takes place Aug. 24 at Splintered Craft

“Y

ou’re Doing Great
Work” reads the massive block letters on
the front of Splintered Craft’s
building on 4th Avenue. Other messages, pictures and tags cover
nearly the entire exterior, and all
have been made by local youth.
The arts studio is a place where
the youth of Whitehorse can discover, practice and hone their
artistry — be it painting, music or
just about anything else.
Complete with arts supplies,
a full recording studio and ample
space for youth to work on their
various projects, Splintered Craft,
over the past few years, has become a hub for the Yukon’s creative young minds.
Hip hop artist Ben Craymer,
aka B-Cray, says Splintered Craft
is a place that “allows the youth
of the Yukon to promote healthy,
creative art with elements inspired by the atmosphere around
here.”
Several evenings a week, Splintered Craft is full of Yukon youth
painting, drawing, writing, and
jamming. With many regular attendees, the arts space has its
own community, with a strong
welcoming sense. The space is
also often used to host arts-based
events such as concerts, usually
consisting of performances by
young local artists.
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new hip hop artists in Whitehorse.
In addition to Mr. Abstract, Hip
Hop Show #3 will also feature performances by a host of other local
rappers, DJs and beatboxers, including B-Cray, Calm Rivers, Cosmic Sorceress, Cymatic, Tahltan
Havoc, JB Bobby Dilla, Lucid Logic
and John Stosh.
“We’ll have the featured performers all play their sets, then
have a free-for-all at the end,”
says Barr. He adds that members
of the public are welcome to get
on stage and participate during
the free-for-all to close off the
show.
As excitement builds for the
concert, the participants get busier and busier with preparations
and rehearsals. Yet the showrunners are faithfully working to stay
on schedule and have everything
ready on time.
Hip Hop Show #3 takes place
Thursday, August 24 at 7 p.m. at
Splintered Craft, which is located
at 4159 - 4th Avenue. It is an all
ages show, and admission is by
pay-what-you-can donations at
the door. For more information,
check out Splintered Craft’s Facebook page.

periment’s first CD release concert, a two-day all youth festival
called BreakFest, and two hip hop
shows, Splintered Craft is now
known as much as a concert venue
as anything else.
Currently, the people of Splintered Craft are working on preparations for their next big event,
Hip Hop Show #3.
Splintered Craft is run by Jona
Barr, who diligently devotes his
evenings to maintaining the studio
and encouraging the desired environment within. Barr, however,
puts a heavy emphasis on the fact
that the youth who attend Splintered Craft play the biggest role
in putting on the concerts events
that happen here. The youth who
will be participating in the concert are in Splintered Craft now
during all its opening hours, practicing their music, as well as making flyers and setting up the space
for the show.
“It seems like we’re going to
have a lot of different rappers,”
says Tanner Coyne, a Splintered
Craft regular and featured performer who goes by the stage
name Mr. Abstract.
“I’m hoping to get my DJ skills
up to the point where I can DJ for
everyone’s set,” he says.
While being an opportunity for
fans to have fun and artists see
their work pay off, the show will
also provide exposure for many

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5

August 23, 2017

A Klondike Korner
with Dan Davidson

E OF
AG

HAINES JU
NCT

ION

Church
Cathedral,
and travelling to Beaver Creek, where our
Yukon journey began
in 1976. We had been
going to loop back
over the Taylor/Top
of the World Highway,
but my passport got
left in the laptop computer bag that I forgot
to put in the truck, so
we reversed, back to
Whitehorse, realised
that the campground
in Faro would be full
due to their annual
golf tournament, and
opted to visit Mayo
and Keno City for a
couple of days on our
way home.
The roads were
PHOTO: Dan Davidson fine, except in places
where construction
We parked near the Slims River Bridge to examine the mud flats
is underway to improve them. If
you’re planning to enjoy our highon the Kluane Lake side of the diminished Slims River
ways, expect some delays and use
common sense. It rained about
ummer, with its long daylight folks at the Alaska Marine Highway half the time we were gone, but
hours, is a great time to travel service, that brings us to a total the trailer is homey and we had
around the Yukon. We started of about 51 feet and, while that a good time, even played a few
our travels the summer after we is tiny compared to many of the games of Scrabble, which never
arrived, trading up from a VW fifth wheel rigs and land yachts we happens at home.
Beetle to a Ford 150, and loading encountered on our most recent
a second hand 8 ½ foot camper little trip around the territory, it
Dan Davidson retired from 32
on the back. Over the next sev- does force me to drive differently years of teaching in rural Yukon
eral years we covered all the main – even more than hauling campers
schools, but continues writing
travel loops in the territory and used to do.
about life in Dawson City.
I need to pay more attention to
also crisscrossed the country.
Please send comments about
An impending addition to the gusts of wind sweeping across the
his stories to
family caused us to upgrade again road. I need to be more careful
dawson@whatsupyukon.com.
in 1982, switching to a larger when driving in the rain. The truck
camper and a GMC crew-cab. is pretty stable, but the trailer
That rig never crossed the nation, can sway a bit on rain-slickened
but saw a lot of the Yukon, Brit- surfaces, especially on downhill
ish Columbia and Alberta, until a curves.
For the sake of fuel economy
combination of visits to the family
Mobile Shredding
back east and summer jobs for the I need to keep our speed down
Save time Shred with uS!
kids here left the camper sitting in to between 2000 and 2500 RPM,
the back lane parking pad until we which generally translates to be• Commercial and Residential
sold the entire rig, bought an SUV tween 80 and 95 kph, depending
• We come to you & shred
on the grade of the road. Go above
and went without for a few years.
your documents on site!
Mid-way through the life of that, and the gas gauge shows the
• Watch the process!
the Explorer we bought a trailer tank emptying much more quickly.
• Totally secure and private
Even then, the extra weight
and, as the kids had graduated
high school, began travelling as a more than doubles our gas con• All paper is recycled
couple once again. The SUV was sumption, which means two half• Bonded & Insured
a little underpowered for some tank fill ups between here and
• Locally Owned and Operated
parts of the Alaska Highway, but it the capital. The truck alone could
served us well (including the time make the trip on one tank with a
Certificate of destruction
a moose hit us near Barkerville) smidgen to spare, but we generprovided with every shred
until it was time for something ally top up two-thirds of the way
in either direction.
with a bit more power.
This summer’s week-long exA lot of our summer travel
Mon–Fri: 9am –5pm
now involves hooking our 21-foot cursion had me picking up my wife
Coachmen Capri trailer to our in Whitehorse, where she’d been
email: reliable@klondiker.com
www.securemobileshredding.ca
crew cab Tacoma. According to the doing some youth work at Christ

VIL
L

The Yukon is Great for Summer
Travelling

S

633-6605

We

VILLAGE OF HAINES JUNCTION

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

MAJOR ARTWORK PROJECT
for the Grand Hall of the St. Elias Convention Centre
There will be up to $70,000 available for this project.
The Art Acquisition Selection Committee, on behalf of the Village of
Haines Junction, recognises that this is a large and potentially multidisciplinary project and therefore invites individual Yukon artists or
teams to submit their qualifications to produce a major artwork for the
walls of the Grand Hall of the St. Elias Convention Centre.
As a first step, interested artists/teams will obtain an information
package for the project from the Village of Haines Junction Municipal
Office in the St. Elias Convention Centre, Haines Junction, Yukon
Y0B 1L0 or from the Village Website at www.hainesjunctionyukon.com.
From the respondents to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ), a
shortlist of up to 5 artists/teams will be selected by the Art Acquisition
Selection Committee, sent a Request For Proposals package and
invited to prepare proposals. Eligible artists/teams on the shortlist
who complete a proposal that meets the conditions of the Request for
Proposals will be reimbursed $1000.

Deadline for submissions to the RFQ will be
5.00 p.m., November 20, 2017
For further information, please contact the Village Office at (867) 634-7100

For delivering papers to Dawson City,
Mayo and Carmacks!

Kluane Freight Lines

6

August 23, 2017

Stepping Up
with Darrell Hookey

He Brings Heroes to Life

Heroes also attend meetings and do paperwork

H

ave you seen the gamers
and sci-fi fans and people
dressed up as action heroes
from the comics and board games?
Well, Paul Scholz is their president.
To be more precise, he is the
president of the Yukon Comic
Culture Society, an all-volunteer
board that creates events to unabashedly celebrate “geek and
nerd culture.”
That’s right: YukomiCon.
But he is also a board member of the Royal Canadian Legion
Branch 254, a grandfather, and
general manager of Klondike Business Solutions.
“I love Star Trek,” he says,
introducing the appeal of this fun
culture. “I wear a Star Trek T-shirt
often when I go home.
“With a convention like YukomiCon, you can let out your innergeek and love what you love… and
you are with others who love what
they love.
“At my first convention, I
went with my grandson, who was
five, and he saw “Deadpool” – he
didn’t know it was “Deadpool,” he
thought it was “Spiderman” – and
“Deadpool” gave him a high five
and my grandson was beaming.
“That is a great feeling for me,
personally. To see a young child

smile at their super hero, it is addicting.”
Indeed, you may have seen
Scholz dressed as “Captain America.”
“I started dressing up for trick
or treat and one year I got a ‘Captain America’ costume and my
grandson loved it.
“Others get jazzed because
they just saw ‘Captain America’
and he waved to them… and it
isn’t ‘Paul’ ... it is ‘Captain America.’”
Before this magic can happen,
there is a lot of work that needs to
happen first.
“Hundreds and hundreds of
hours of meetings,” says Scholz.
“The previous president warned
me, but I was surprised at the
workload.
“We are a working board, and
there is a lot of work.
“There is going to meetings
and preparing for meetings so
that you have information at your
fingertips.
“And, with an all-volunteer
board, it is a huge learning curve
for everyone to find funding and
sponsors; getting vendors to come
and contacting agents of actors
and artists.
“And then negotiate with
them.”

PHOTO: Darrell Hookey
Fortunately, he has a board to
work with.
“We have an amazingly talented group of people,” Scholz says.
“I am not the type of person to be
a dictator and say ‘This is how we
do things,’ but, rather, to make the
vision their own: This is what we
want to do, now, how do we create
our vision into something tangible?
“I give them the tools and support so that they can take the puck
and go further than I can go with
my skillset.”
Scholz was just a VIP member
for the first YukomiCon in 2013.
Afterwards, he attended the AGM
and joined the board. Later that
year he became treasurer.
When the first president left the
territory, he was elected to that
position.

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Stepping Up features those who
lead volunteer organizations in
the Yukon. Darrell Hookey
is a Whitehorse-based
freelance writer.

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it ends, Scholz’s presidency will
end. But he will still be available
to lend some corporate memory if
it is wanted.
“It is important to have new
blood and new ideas,” he says. “I
am not leaving because I hate it – I
love it! – but it is time for someone
else to take up the reins and keep
the board running.”

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“Yes, it is something I wanted,”
he says today, even after learning
of how much work was involved.
“I am still excited by all of
these people from different backgrounds, but equal passion, and to
get them together and produce an
event that other people can enjoy.
“Walking around these conventions and seeing other people
enjoy the event, and the vendors
with amazing art and merchandise,
it is so invigorating to see them
wowed by what others can create.
YukomiCon is hosting the third
convention Aug. 25 to 27. When

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Paul Scholz (far left) is the president of the Yukon Comic Culture
Society. He and his board organize YukomiCon along with board
game nights at the Whitehorse Public Library and special events
to celebrate sci-fi, fantasy, comics, games and cosplay

Whitehorse EVENTS
ART SHOWS
Until Fri, Aug, 25, Maplewish, curated by
Maya Rosenberg Yukon Arts Centre In the
Community Gallery
Sat, Aug, 26, The Midnight Sun Camera
Obscura Project Yukon Arts Centre
Photographs, cameras, and documents from
the 2015 Dawson City festival. The exhibition
includes several of the cameras obscura –
the actual objects for viewing and recording
surrounding imagery,
Until Sat, Aug, 26, Wish 150 Yukon Mosaic
Yukon Arts Centre A national initiative
created to bring together our communities
and inspire for a better future through art and
color. August 4-26, 2017.
Until Aug, 26 Dennis Shorty My Childhood
Memories Arts Underground
Until Sat, Aug, 26, Exhibit - Teresa
Vander-Meer Chassé - Rez Car Arts
Underground Emerging as one of Yukon’s
young artists. “Rez Car,” with its satirical wit,
provokes imagination amongst viewers and
encourages them to see beauty in all objects.
Until Sun, Aug, 27, Solo exhibit - Amzie
Cooke-Goodall Yukon Arts Centre In the
Youth Gallery
Until Fri, Sep, 1, Exhibit for Created at the
Canyon Northern Front Studio The ﬁnished
artwork will be on display at the studio from
August 2nd to September 1st. 668 5678

Fri, Aug, 25, Ultimate Seafood Feast
7:00 PM Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre
Sustainable, fresh delicious seafood
including crab, prawns, salmon, arctic char,
oysters and more plus the best seasonal
Yukon produce. Tickets online.
Fri, Aug, 25, Engage Worship Nights 7:00
PM Bethany Church The last Friday of the
month with other youth and Young adults
to engage the living God in worship and
ministry! Email info@bethanychurch.ca for
more information.
Sat, Aug, 26, Canada Post Charity Garage
Sale 9:00 AM Canada Post Charity Garage
Sale The employees of Canada Post in
Whitehorse will be coming together to host
a garage sale - all monies raised will go to
charity supporting local groups.
Sat, Aug, 26, Zero Waste Garage Sale
11:00 AM North Star Mini Storage Vendors
may sell directly from the trunk of their
vehicle in North Star’s parking lot in
exchange for a donation to the Food Bank.
To register, contact Lara-Rae at 633–5402.
Sat, Aug, 26, Cocktails, Canapes and
Costumes! 6:00 PM S.S.Klondike Our
prohbition themed event! Live music, tasty
bites by Chefs Carson and Troy of Inn on
the Lake, cocktails by Yukon Spirits, Tickets
online.
Sat, Aug, 26, Crib Tournament 6:15 PM
Royal Canadian Legion - Branch 254 Crib
tournaments every Saturday - Member and
non-members welcome.
Sat, Aug, 26, The Live Roast of Captain
America 9:00 PM Royal Canadian Legion Branch 254 A live roast of The World’s First
Avenger, Captain America. He has saved the
world countless times, but who will defend
Captain America now, as he is roasted by his
dearest friends, and those who’ve never set
foot within his world?
Sun, Aug, 27, Make Your own Pike Fishing
Gear 10:00 AM YuKonstruct Makerspace
You’ll make a serviceable wooden pike lure
and more. Email info@yukonstruct.com for
more information.
Sun, Aug, 27, Performance Making with
Jacob Zimmer 11:00 AM Whitehorse,
Yukon Combines physical theatre, dance
improvisation, and his own diverse
performance background in collaboration and
creation. No experience necessary as long
as you’re willing to move. Register Online.
Sun, Aug, 27, Whitehorse Scrabble Club
1:00 PM Best Western Gold Rush Inn Are
you a wordy person, put your words to the
test and join the Scrabble Club. Must be 19+
Sun, Aug, 27, Ceramics Open Studio 2:30
PM Arts Underground Non-instructed open
studio. Participants are welcome to use
the studio’s tools and equipment; clay and
some tools are available for purchase. Every
Sunday except long weekends. $5/hour.
Sun, Aug, 27, Soundwalk Whitehorse
5:00 PM Robert Service Campground A
soundwalk along the banks of the Yukon
River, from Robert Service campground to
Chambers House in Shipyards Park.
Sun, Aug, 27, Play Skills and Drive
Building 7:15 PM Advanced K9 -Training
and Services How to play with your dog
promote a stronger working relationship by
building up your dog’s trust, conﬁdence.
For more info call 689-5438 or emailinfo@
advancedk9.com
Mon, Aug, 28, Lancieux France Sister City
Flag Raising City Of Whitehorse City Hall
will ﬂy the ﬂag of Lancieux, our Sister City in
France to recognize and honour our special
relationship.
Mon, Aug, 28, Free drop-in computer
labs 10:00 AM Yukon Learn Free Drop-In
Computer Lab for Self Directed Studies A
tutor/Instructor will be available on site to
assist you. 867-668-6280 or toll free: 888668-6280 Fax: 867-633-4576
Mon, Aug, 28, Moving to Wellness 5:00
PM Whitehorse Health Centre A discussionbased class to help individuals who are
struggling to get active problem solve
solutions and plan strategies to get moving.
To register or for more info please call 6678733
Mon, Aug, 28, GO The Surrounding Game
6:00 PM Starbucks Chilkoot Centre Simple
Game Deep Strategy. Beginners & Visitors
Welcome. For more information email:
tjbowlby@gmail.com
Mon, Aug, 28, Euchre Night 6:00 PM Royal
Canadian Legion - Branch 254 667-2802
Mon, Aug, 28, Academic Success Boot
Camp 7:00 PM Yukon College Learn a
variety of tools and strategies to prepare for
the upcoming college year, call 668-8720 for
more information.

Mondays - Friday Family Free Play Dropin 12:30pm Saturdays 10-2pm. Family
Literacy Centre 668-8698 /668-6535
This drop-in includes reading time, free
play and interactive activities. All Ages
Welcome..
Wed, Aug, 23, Wildlife Viewing: Mushroom
Power Up Environment Yukon ofﬁce
867-667-8291 Local mushroom man
Sam Skinner will lead a walk and talk
in Whitehorse about the biology and
identiﬁcation of Yukon mushrooms.This
event reaches capacity quickly you must call
to reserve a spot:867-667-8291.
Thu, Aug, 24, Wildlife Viewing: Mushroom
Power Up Environment Yukon ofﬁce
867-667-8291 Local mushroom man
Sam Skinner will lead a walk and talk
in Whitehorse about the biology and
identiﬁcation of Yukon mushrooms.This
event reaches capacity quickly you must call
to reserve a spot:867-667-8291.
Fri, Aug, 25, 2017 Back to School Safety
Fair! 10:00 AM Shipyards Park Get ready
for a fun-ﬁlled day with draw prizes, displays,
food and safety games. Free for everyone,
fun for the whole family.
Fri, Aug, 25, Cooking Program for Teens!
2:00 PM Whitehorse Public Library 667-8900
Free summer cooking program for teens!
If you love cooking or want to learn how,
and are between the ages of 12 and 16. To
register email yplevents@gov.yk.ca or call
667-8900.
Fri, Aug, 25, Mom and Kids Program 2017
2:00 PM Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre
689-5805 This year we will be offering
culturally diverse and rich experiences for
children 0-8 and their mothers. Including
free healthy food and snacks for every
participant. Spaces are limited and follows a
ﬁrst-come-ﬁrst serve basis. Call or email to
register.
Sat, Aug, 26, Community Registration Fair
10:00 AM Canada Games Centre Contact
Adrienne Marsh at 335-9478 or adrienne.
marsh@whitehorse.ca for more information.
Sat, Aug, 26, Family Drop In 11:00 AM
Polarette’s Gymnastic Club Ages 9 and
under, must be accompanied by a parent.
Call 668-4794 or email info@polarettes.org
for more information.
Sat, Aug, 26, Skookum Jim Friendship
Centre Family Day 1:00 PM Skookum
Jim Friendship Centre Traditional Games,
Storytelling, Elders Present. Meals provided
with refreshments. All ages welcome.
Location changes call 633-7688 for details.

Sun, Aug, 27, Wee Moves 2:00 PM Yukon
Transportation Museum AGES 3-5, an
interactive afternoon of play and science
exploration Leave the kids in our capable
hands and run your Sunday errands or stay
with us and get your hands dirty. Save your
spot by registering at weemoves@goytm.ca
Tue, Aug, 29, Science Magic Shipyards
Park All ages. Have fun with science,
technology, engineering, art and
mathematics. Lets stretch our minds and
grow, free and drop in! Two times during the
day at 1:30 - 2:30 pm and 3:15 - 4:00 pm.

The first 500
customers will
receive one FREE
Western Family Sweet
Kale Salad Kit (680g).

items you buy most
at the lowest prices— guaranteed
*see in store for details

*

Whitehorse 43 Chilkoot Way

| 867-668-6660 | open 7am –10pm, 7 days a week

10

August 23, 2017

Seasonal Recipes
with Sydney Oland

Two Breakfast Wraps to Stock Your Freezer
T

hese breakfast wraps are my favorite part of every hunting or camping trip. Trekking through the Yukon has so much to offer
(vast nature, beautiful views, abundant wildlife) and yet it’s the smell of these wraps crisping up over a fire that’s the memory
I cling to when I’m away. They just don’t taste as good anywhere else.

These two versions are staples in my house, but you can add or subtract. Or even mash these two together, you really can’t go wrong.
Just remember to cook the eggs until they’ve lost all their gooey-ness. In any other instance, the goo is the most important part of the
Makes 10 wraps

egg. Since these are meant to eat in the woods, you want everything to stay in place.

Heat a large skillet over high
heat and add breakfast sausage. Cook until the sausage
is browned and fully cooked,
about 6 minutes. Drain all but
2 tablespoons of the fat and
return pan to heat. Add beaten eggs and ½ cup Cheez Whiz
(or whatever cheese type of
thing you’re using) and cook,
stirring constantly until eggs
are cooked through, about 7
minutes. Remove from heat
and season to taste with salt
and pepper.

Tear off and stack 10 pieces
foil large enough that
one of the tortillas can sit
on it and not overlap the
sides. Place one tortilla on
the stack of foil, then place
about ⅓ cup of egg mixture in
the middle of the tortilla, followed by hash brown patty,
followed by grated cheese.
Wrap the tortilla around the
filling, making sure it is fully
enclosed, then wrap in foil.
Repeat with all ingredients
then place assembled wraps
in your freezer.
cont’d on page 11...

Get ready
to order

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Don’t miss out on this
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PHONE: 633-6088

Yukon Centre Mall - 2nd Avenue

Get excited for the wine
releases next December,
January, February and March!

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted add the
chopped onion and chili powder. Cook until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.
Add drained black beans and corn, toss with onions, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add beaten
eggs and cook, stirring constantly until eggs are cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat
and season to taste with salt and pepper.

2 the sides. Place one tortilla on the stack of foil, then place about ½ cup egg mixture in the middle

Tear off and stack 10 pieces of foil large enough that one of the tortillas can sit on it and not overlap
of the tortilla, followed a spoonful of salsa, some grated cheese and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
Wrap the tortilla around the filling, making sure it is fully enclosed, then wrap in foil. Repeat with all
ingredients then place assembled wraps in your freezer.

To reheat: If you’re by a campfire place your wrapped burrito near the coals and carefully turn it
until it’s fully thawed and crisp. If you have a frying pan handy remove the foil and place the wrap in
a pan, cook until the outside is
toasted and crisp and the inside
is warm and gooey.

Here’s Our Lineup...
EVERY WEEK

Thursday
Jam Nite

Saturday August 26:

UFC Mayweather Vs MacGregor

9. Ready for the freezer

Sydney Oland is a recipe developer who lives in Whitehorse.
Her work can be found in The Boston Globe, Seriouseats.com as well as other publications.

Debit at the door
Gluten Free Crust
Wings
Yukon Owned!

Friday September 8:

Soul Migration Kick Off
The Music Season And There Will Be Music
Every Friday After That!
Weekly Thursday

with Patrick
Jacobson

Sundays

Ben Mahony

Jam hosted by Patrick Jacobson

Best Western Gold Rush Inn
411 Main Street, Whitehorse, 668-4500

Paninis

Hungry?

have
arrived.

Food for Thought
in Every Issue
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Email: events@whatsupyukon.com

Adam Gerle at last year’s Cocktails, Canapes
and Costumes event at the SS Klondike

Miche Genest makes
Bannock at last year’s
Klondike Cocktails event

Yukon food is centred around wild
ingredients such as spruce tips
and game meat. With that in mind
Schiffkorn is developing a “Yukon
menu” with dishes that are unique
to the territory such as chimichurri
sauce made with mustard greens or
radish pods.
The Yukon Culinary Festival’s growth is a sign of the flour-

Troy King puts the last touch
on a venison dish at last year’s
Klondike Cocktails event

ishing local food scene here. According to Schiffkorn, the culinary arts
are “...the thread that binds and
pulls us all together as Yukoners.”
For more information about
the festival or to buy tickets go to
YukonCulinary.ca.
Lily Quan is a
Whitehorse based writer.

Chef Ayla Smith of the
Woodcutter’s blanket
with her son

PHOTO: Michal Kostal

PHOTO: courtesy of Ayla Smith

in their Yukon best will dine on a
host of appetizers and finger foods
aboard the SS Klondike itself.
Tickets are selling quickly. Chefs
Carson Schiffkorn and Troy King of
Inn on the Lake, located at Marsh
Lake, have designed the menu.
Schiffkorn has been intimately involved with the festival since it
began five years ago. Traditional

PHOTO: Michal Kostal

The Ultimate Seafood Feast,
taking place on Friday at 7 p.m. at
Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre, will
feature flavours from a variety of
cultures including First Nations.
Those who attended last year’s
festival will remember the Ultimate Seafood Feast, a blow-out buffet that featured East Coast lobster with gnocchi and Alaskan spot
prawns spiced with garam masala.
This year’s menu is just as
tempting: Alaskan mussel boil with
local game sausage, corn and potatoes, dungeness crab segments
with five-spice drawn butter and
local greens, and a selection of fish
including sockeye salmon stuffed
with wild Yukon herbs and a morel
duxelle.
The event will also feature the
local flavour of Yukon Brewing
beers.
Last year’s Seafood Feast sold
out and organizers have doubled
the size of the event this year.
New to the Yukon Culinary Festival this year is the Cocktails, Canapes and Costumes event on Saturday at 6 p.m.
In previous years, dinners were
held on the grounds outside the SS
Klondike. This year, guests dressed

PHOTO: Michal Kostal

T

he Yukon Culinary Festival
sounds like a good way to
celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary.
“The definition of Canadian cuisine that we use is local, seasonal,
sustainable ingredients in the hands
of many cultures,” says Eric Pateman, the festival’s main organizer. “This being Canada’s 150th,
we have an opportunity to tell this
story through the food.”
Canadian cuisine is difficult to
pin down. We are a multicultural
country, with multicultural cuisine. The First Nations have a long
tradition of dishes made with food
harvested from the wild. Today,
according to Pateman, there are
no rules. “You can combine Thai,
Japanese and First Nations in a
dish, and nobody bats an eye.”
The Festival starts on Thursday,
August 24 and runs through Saturday, August 26, and will highlight
foods harvested from the Yukon
wild or grown here by our farmers.
The festival begins on Thursday
with cooking demos by local chefs
at the Fireweed Community Market, and ramps up with the official kickoff party at 7p.m Thursday
night at the Woodcutter’s Blanket.

PHOTO: Michal Kostal

The Yukon Culinary Festival takes place Aug. 24 to 26

by Lily Quan

Oysters in a barrell at last year’s
ultimate seafood feast at the
Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre

Ate it Here and it was Awesome

We asked people involved with this year’s Yukon Culinary Festival what their most memorable meal has been here in the Yukon.
Chef Miche Genest, author of The Boreal Gourmet (2010) and The Boreal Feast (2014)
My most memorable meal was moose ribs braised in Yukon Brewing’s Midnight Sun Espresso Stout. I cooked them for Cathie Archbould and her partner Jak – it was
the first time I’d cooked moose for the hunter who’d caught it, and it set me on the path to learning how to cook game properly.
I still love that recipe because of the collaboration at the heart of it – the cook and the hunter, the brewer and the coffee roaster, the wild, beautiful meat and
the finely-crafted local beer. For me it represents all that is good and inspiring in Yukon food.
Chef Troy King of Inn on the Lake
I’ve been a chef in the Yukon for just over a year now and I’ve got lots of great food memories... cooking arctic char over an open fire in a dog sledding camp,
foraging for mushrooms and salad fixings with world famous chef Jeremy Charles, [being] asked to cook bison while being filmed for a TV spot.
Chef Ayla Smith of the Woodcutters’ Blanket
My most memorable meal was when I was a child and ate the first fish I ever caught. It was a lake trout and It was accompanied by garden vegetables from my
mother’s garden. I ate the entire thing to myself and was so satisfied by the fact that I caught and gutted it myself.
Larissa Lychenko, Market Manager for the Fireweed Community Market
My favourite meal with local ingredients was a homemade caribou ramen featuring kale and bok choy from my garden and sprouts from my window sill. The broth
was made from a split femur, slow cooked for two days. The caribou was gifted to me from a friend’s hunting trip. It made such a delicious rich ramen broth!!

2200 2nd Ave, Whitehorse
668-6305
Mon-Sat: 9AM - 6PM,
Sun: 10AM - 5PM

Freezers to fit your needs from the brands you trust.

www.inspiredinteriorswhitehorse.ca

August 23, 2017

13

14

August 23, 2017

Haines
The Ocean is
Where It’s At
Haines Visitor Center

visithaines.com

Your Source
in Haines
for
Hunting,
Fishing
& Clothing
For 46 years
420 Main St.
907-766-2441
www.oleruds.com

by Aislinn Cornett
Yukon Comic Culture Society’s
board secretary and self-professed
geek Carrie Jackson observes that
many people who might not typically feel comfortable in social
situations, are able to challenge
social anxieties when in costume.
“As soon as you put some people
in a costume, they feel more comfortable,” Jackson says. “I tend to
be the same way.”
During this year’s Canada Day
Parade, Jackson dressed up as
Japanese manga character “Sailor
Moon,” and loved seeing the reactions she received from parade
goers and peers.
“It doesn’t matter what gender,
sexuality or body type you are, if
you want to cosplay it, you are able
to cosplay it,” she says.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Reid Vanier
Take for example, celebrity cosplayer Justin Saint, who will be
Costume designer and cosplayer, headlining, adjudicating and doing a makeup demonstration at
Andry Rae is a costume
this year’s YukomiCon. Saint is well
designer and cosplayer who
known for his “crossplay,” which is
specializes in armour construction. cosplaying a character of a different gender. The makeup artist and
She will be headlining at this
costume designer is most known
year’s Yukomicon event
for his evil “Maleficent” portrayal (the antagonist from Sleeping
Beauty), but he has also tackled
brawnier characters like “Thorin
his year’s cosplay contest Oakenshield” (a dwarf from J.R.R
will take place on August Tolkien’s The Hobbit).
26th as part of the third anSaint is known for his efforts to
nual YukomiCon event, happening promote positive queer visibility
August 25th to 27th at the Yukon within the gaming community.
Convention Centre in Whitehorse.
“Justin Saint is the single best
If you’re unfamiliar with the pop ‘Maleficent’ cosplayer,” Vanier
culture term “cosplay,” get ready praises. “He really becomes a stunto leave your inner critic at the ning, perfect vision of the characdoor to embrace the otherworldly, ter. It’s really something to see.”
unabashedly geeky, and anythingIn the fantastic, open ended
but-mundane comic culture.
world of cosplay, costume creation
The word “cosplay” is a play- is no small undertaking, and many
ful contraction of the words “cos- cosplayers spend hours fine tuning
tume” and “play.” Cosplayers dress their realistic designs.
up as a character of their choice,
“There is a lot of craftsmanship
from superheroes, to anime, to involved in building the costumes,
movie characters, to video game like working with plastic materials
characters.
to replicate metal,” Vanier says.
As Yukon Comic Culture SociInternational cosplayer and cosety board member Reid Vanier tume designer, Andy Rae, who will
explains, cosplaying is all about be returning for her second year of
entering the fantasy world of a fic- YukomiCon, specializes in armour
tional character.
construction. She has won multiple
“Cosplaying is about finding a awards for her elaborate craftscharacter you identify with and manship. She uses a thermoplastic
putting yourself in that role,” he material called Worbla to recreate
explains. “It’s about celebrating armour. Rae will be hosting a workwhatever geek lore you run. You shop at this year’s event to showcan become ‘Tuxedo Mask’ or the case this contemporary technique.
‘Black Canary,’ and insert yourself
Both Saint and Rae, along with
into that world and mythology.”
other guests, will be judging this
With costume roleplay, there is year’s cosplay competitions, which
an element of escapism that goes take place on the Saturday of the
beyond merely reading comics “geekiest weekend of the year.”
and watching movies. You not only This is your chance to show off
dress as your favourite superhero, your love for your favourite charyou become that idolized character acters, genres, and costumes.
for the day (or the weekend).
As Vanier explains, costume entries
“You get to remove yourself can vary, from cursory off-the-cuff
from real life for a bit and fully entries to intricate and expertly
immerse yourself in a world you crafted costumes. In the past, he
love,” Vanier says. “It’s a bit of has witnessed impressive supertheatre and actual play, something hero cosplays like “Wolverine”
we need to remind ourselves to do and “Captain America,” as well as
as adults.”

characters reimagined in hybrid or
steampunk form.
While Whitehorse may not be
blessed with large craft outlets like
a Michaels Store, Jackson says that
creativity and resourcefulness can
still spawn from our limited northern materials.
“A lot of our cosplay is what we
call MacGyvering,” she says. “That
is, making costumes out of whatever we can.”
No matter the effort, from modelled armour, to closet finds, all
costumes are equally celebrated.
“We want to honour the people
that take the time to work with interesting and difficult materials to
create quality replicas and we also
want people to have fun,” Vanier
says.

The cosplay competition takes
place on Saturday, August 26, with
the youth/family competition for
kids, teenagers and families getting
started at 2:15 p.m., and the live
show starting at 2:30 p.m. Categories include: best group/family (all
ages), best young adult (ages 1618), best teen (ages 13-15), best
youth (ages 9-12) and best shining
star (ages 4-8).
The adult cosplay contest begins at 5 p.m. with prejudging,
then the live show begins at 6 p.m.
Participants aged 19+ can enter as
individuals or as a group. Judging
categories include: best in show,
craftsmanship award (in which 80
per cent of the costume is handmade), best group costume, best
stage presence and judges’ choice.

While the cosplay contest rules
are generally open, Yukon Comic
Culture Society wants to keep the
event inclusive, fun and safe.
Weapons, sharp edges, or offensive iconography are not permitted
in order to keep the event physically, emotionally and culturally safe.
Registration forms are available
online at www.YukomiCon.com
and can be submitted by email or
in person at Titan Gaming and Collectibles in Whitehorse. Registrants
will be accepted until the first day
of YukomiCon.
Aislinn Cornett is a Yukon
born and raised freelance
writer, artist and art therapist
currently writing and living on
the beach in Mexico.

T

@

August 25th - 27th
Join the Integra Tire GameZone at YukomiCon
Enter to play Magic: The Gathering, War Machine, Minecraft,
Pokémon and Catan for a chance to win cash prizes,
gift certificates, slushies, swag and more!
Buy tickets online at yukomicon.com,
at Titan Gaming & Collectibles, or at the door.

Coast High Country Inn

16

August 23, 2017

Fermented, Stewed, Baked and
Brewed!

Celebrating delicious, local, homegrown and homemade at
this year’s Ingestible Festival on Aug. 27 at Mount Lorne
by Aislinn Cornett

I

t started with a cornbread
that a friend brought over to
Shiela Alexandrovich’s house
one evening for a potluck at her
Wheaton River Valley home. The
savoury bread was adorned with
sage leaves and she remembers
commenting, “This is so beautiful,
it belongs in an exhibit.”
While that cornbread didn’t
end up in a gallery, it did inspire
did inspire the food oriented event
called The Ingestible Festival, a
gallery exhibit and celebration of
local food at the Lorne Mountain
Community Association.
This year marks the fourth
year of the annual fine foods fest,
which will take place on Sunday,
August 27th at the Lorne Mountain
Community Centre (LMCA).
“We were looking for an event
at the LMCA and we thought this
was the perfect way to celebrate
the goal of getting people to eat
and grow local,” Alexandrovich
says. She is the organizer of the
annual feast, as well as a mixed
media fibre artist and longtime
Lorne Mountain resident.
“I’m involved in the arts world
and we celebrate visual art,” she
says. “Food deserves the same as
a creative medium.”
That’s why the delicious array of fine local foods prepared
for the festival are presented
like a gallery art exhibit – complete with appealing aesthetic
layout and studio lighting. Tables
are arranged in a large circle so

attendees can rotate around the
outside to taste the northern delicacies – from beautiful breads
made with different herbs, sages
and sourdoughs, to rosehip ketchups, to a cheese garden, to kombuchas, sherries and herbed ales.
“I hear so many oohs and ahhs
before people even get into the
food,” laughs Alexandrovich.
The biggest event to date was
last year with 150 people in attendance and seven tables worth
of appetizing eats. The festival is
all about community and tasting,
but Alexandrovich explains that
the main event is not a potluck.
“We use small plates and small
glasses,” she says. “The idea is to
pay attention to the food.”
There is also a concession
available with more foods to
purchase,
including
options
from local meat producers.
“The goal is to present food in a
creative venue and set up as an
exhibit, to highlight local production of food and how people do it
creatively,” says Alexandrovich.
While not everyone who attends prepares a dish, every festival attendee eats the exhibits. In
this way, everyone acts as a judge.
As Alexandrovich explains, if
you come to the door with a food
entry, there is no cost, and if you
arrive empty handed, the event
costs $10 for a plate and a glass
(and yes, you get to taste everything)!
Ingredients are listed for each

Who should sell
marijuana in Yukon?

entry and stars are awarded for
taste, locality of ingredients and
presentation for each food category: breads, ferments (including
beverages), cheeses, wild crafted
(anything wild goes) and flights of
fancy (an open category for the
most creative dish). Overall best
prizes are also awarded for presentation, taste and locality.
The top three entries for each
category take home prizes, and of
course, bragging rights.
In past years, prizes have varied from fancy cookbooks, to local
artwork, to kitchenware tailored
to each category, to speciality
equipment like bread paddles and
cheese molds. The total value for
prizes this year equals approximately $600.
There is also an educational
component to the Ingestible Festival, with this year’s discussions focused on cheeses and fermenting.
“Most people have something
they are really good at making
and we encourage you to bring
it and put out there,” says Alexandrovich, who explains there is
no hierarchy in the judging, and
ultimately, it’s about about food,
fun, and learning about food.
Contestants range from children
to home cooks to restauranteers
and chefs.
“It’s an invitation for people
who like to cook to prepare the
best that they have,” says Alexandrovich, “Everything is welcome!”
Alexandrovich herself plans to

Festival taste tasters fill their plates at last year’s celebration of local food
enter a selection of cheeses she
has been preparing since March
and wines made last fall.
This year’s Ingestible Festival
takes place at the Mount Lorne
Community Centre, which is located at kilometre one down the
Annie Lake Road.
Applicants are encouraged to
register in advance online, but
individuals can also register at
the door. The event starts at 3:30
p.m., but applicants are asked
to arrive at 2:30 p.m. in order to
register and write ingredients.
For more information or to
help out, call Shiela Alexandrovich at 668-5964 or Agnes Seitz at
667-7083.

Tasting tickets are $10.00 at
the door and entry forms are
available at the Fireweed Community Market on Thursdays or at
lmca@northwestel.net or www.
MountLorne.yk.net.
“Let’s do it! Let’s talk about
food from here,” Alexandrovich
encourages. “We will all benefit by eating and growing locally.
It’s a celebration of food from
the Yukon that will keep moving
people in that direction.”
Aislinn Cornett is a Yukon
born and raised freelance
writer, artist and art therapist
currently writing and living on
the beach in Mexico.

Your Core and Your Floor
A short class for Women who are experiencing:

• Incontinence
• Post-Partum Issues

• Menopause
• Prolapse

• Pelvic Pain
• Post-surgery

Private retail stores

Come and join Jaclyn and Kristy, registered physiotherapists, for a fun and interactive class!

Government stores

þ Learn about common pelvic floor conditions and their treatment

þ Learn about your core and pelvic floor muscles and how they work together
þ Learn simple exercises you can do to decrease pain and improve your symptoms

Monday, September 18, 7-9 pm
Fee: Voluntary donation to Hospice Yukon

Both
Marijuana will be legal in Canada as of July 2018.
Now’s the time to think about managing and
regulating its use in Yukon.

RELAX and RELEASE your STRESS
with REFLEXOLOGY
It’s time to look after you! Give yourself a
treat and book your very own Reﬂexology
session! Reduce chronic pain and tension.
Relieve stress. Sleep better. Experience a
profound sense of relaxation. Come be
pampered.

Do you have a tire pressure
monitoring system equipped
on your vehicle?

If you notice a light on your dash that includes the letters
T.P.M.S. or a small tire icon, your vehicle may be equipped with
this safety system. As of September 2007 the D.O.T. requires
every passenger vehicle, truck and bus manufactured for sale in
the U.S. with a G.V.W.R. of 10,000 lbs or less must include a system
to detect any tire with less than 25% of the placard pressure and
warn the driver of a low tire pressure on the instrument panel.
There are several different meanings to these indicators and
deciphering which condition the system is indicating varies
from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you notice any of these
warnings on your instrument panel, you should refer to your
owner’s manual or stop in and have us identify which conditions
the vehicle may be experiencing.

TIRE SHOP OPEN MONDAY - SATURDAY

867-667-6102 107 INDUSTRIAL ROAD

18

August 23, 2017

ALL PHOTO CREDITS GO TO ALISTAIR MAITLAND PHOTOGRAPHY

Thank you to all the generous 2017 funders and
sponsors that made our 21st season a success!
ArtsFund, Lotteries Yukon, City of Whitehorse, On Yukon Time, Youth Investment Fund,
Culture Quest, Canada Summer Jobs, Yukon Career Placement Program, Java Connection,
Vector Research, Dean’s Strings, North End Gallery, Folk Society of Whitehorse,
The Frame Shop, Hougen Group of Companies, Jazz Yukon, Unitech Sound and Lighting,
What’s Up Yukon, Marsh Lake Tents and Events, Yukon Heritage and Museums Association,
Inanda Images

Hello Everybody,
We invite you to share your photos of Yukon
wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a
description of what’s going on and what camera
equipment you used to Editor@WhatsUpYukon.com.

T

his guy was busy bringing dinner home
for the family when I was lucky enough

and we’ll fill you in on the production process.
And if you’ve got story ideas or a column idea
you’d like to pitch, let us know.

20

August 23, 2017

ENTER YOUR EVENTS ON-LINE
It’s Free. It’s Fast. It’s Easy.

Community EVENTS
ATLIN

Wednesdays Ladies’ Lunch & Carpet Bowling
7:00 PM Atlin Rec Centre
Fri, Aug, 25, Grand Opening 5:00 PM Sigóo
Bistro Free appitizers, prizes, TJ will be playing
his guitar and we have the best view in town!
We ask that you make a reservation by calling
651-2254

From Storms to Spectres, and All Surreal Things Inbetween
April Howard holds her third art exhibition at Baked Café

A

Oct 14th-19th, 2017

“It’s not for everyone, so some
of these pieces won’t sell, until
that one person comes along that
may just share that affiliation.”
Howard’s paintings can be
found online at her Facebook page
April Howard Art. She is
available to create commissioned pieces, and works best
when she is able to follow her own
artistic direction. The art show is
called “Goodnights” and runs for
the month of September at Baked
Cafe (September 1-30).
Aislinn Cornett is a Yukon
born and raised freelance
writer, artist and art therapist
currently writing and living on
the beach in Mexico.

PHOTOS: April Howard

s a child, April Howard remembers spending hours
quietly flipping through her
dad’s collection of Robert Bateman books, getting lost in, and
inspired by, the intricate and realistic details of the iconic Canadian
artist and naturalist’s works. “I’ve
always loved drawing. If there was
ever a pen and paper in front of
me, I’d be sketching something,”
Howard says.
As she got older, she began to
experiment more with colours,
hoping to see her ideas come
together in the vibrant hues she
imagined them.
“A dear friend of mine would
create these incredible images
with pencil crayons, and immediately I needed it. The satisfaction
of creating something beautiful
was intoxicating to me,” she says.
It wasn’t until three years ago
that Howard decided to return to
this form of artistic expression
that seemed so natural to her.
She credits the expensive pencil crayons she purchased as a
hard working teenager in helping
her develop her knack for understanding colours.
“I was terrible at first, but I
knew I had an aptitude for combining colours and that it would
eventually come.”
This patience paid off and Howard’s paintings, which she sells
through word of mouth and her
social media pages, started garnering a fair amount of attention.
So much so, that she was inspired
to work towards her first art show,

April Howard prepares a piece for her upcoming show at Baked Café and Bakery
which took place at the Rah Rah
Gallery in downtown Whitehorse
in 2014.
Howard’s acrylic paintings (her
preferred medium) are mostly
nature based, featuring ravens
to foxes to octopus to magpies,
usually set against moody backgrounds, full of depth and emotion, and, of course, beautifully
mixed colour palettes. “I’m intrigued by things that are old, dark
and mysterious,” she says. “A lot
of my paintings have a darkness to
them. From storms to spectres,
and surreal things in between, I’m
all over it.”

Howard says she is inspired by
seeing the things she imagines
come to life upon the canvas.
“That quiet time when I’m lying
in bed and my mind is drifting into
unknown spaces – it’s when I want
to paint the most,” she says.
Howard is quick to credit other
talented artists for inspiration,
noting her amazement at seeing
their influence manifest in her
work.
As a born and raised northerner, Howard says there is endless
inspiration abound, from birds to
wildflowers, but particularly when
she glances upwards to the skies.

“Where do I begin?” she says.
“The huge skies. And the clouds!
“Those big billowing ones
capture me. I have to be careful
when I’m driving because my eyes
wander upwards. Cell phones are
dangerous, but cumulus clouds?
Forget about it!”
Howard’s upcoming show at
Baked Café and Bakery will showcase clouds, of course, as well as
her affinity for northern birds and
other critters.
“I’ve been loving seeing images
lit up against the night sky, so that
seems to be the theme for this
display,” Howard says.

Late August and September mean the mountains around
Dawson City and Tombstone Territorial Park explode with
colour. Take a trip up to experience the colours of nature
and meet our colourful local characters.
DawsonCity.ca

upcoming events
August 25-27
September 1-4
September 8-11
September 23
September 29

Welcome to Canada’s Best Value Inn
Combining newly renovated rooms
and historic turn of the century
atmosphere, we are located in the
heart of Dawson City, Home of the
“Sourtoe Cocktail”

KlondikeExperience.com

DowntownHotel.ca

Klondike Kate's CABINS
& Restaurant

GREAT RIVER AIR

Stay with us while in Dawson City! Enjoy
the privacy of your own cabin where
rustic elegance meets modern comfort!
Eat delicious food at our restaurant;
inside or on our great patio.

KlondikeKates.ca

We operate fixed-wing aircraft on
demand for flight-seeing tours of the
Tombstone Mountains or Dawson
Goldfields.
Custom tours are available.

Call 867-993-4359 to inquire or book
GreatRiverAir.com

Klondike national
historic sites

dAWSON
CITY
GOLF
COURSE
Westmark
inn
dawson
city

Pc.gc.ca/klondike

WestmarkHotels.com
DawsonGolf@Hotmail.ca

The search for gold in the Klondike
captivated the world and transformed
our nation, its people, and its cultures.
Come find out the stories that make
Dawson's history unique!
photo credit: Parks Canada /Mueller